Floating device for flying-machines.



(xi-N W @Wf p P. SIPTROTT.

FLOATING DEVICE FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-7,1915.

1,16%,361 Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

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WITNESSES: w N

P. SIPTROTT.

FLOATI NG DEVICE FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. 1915.

1,169,361., Patented Jan.25, 1916.

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INVENTOR A TTOR/VE V WI T/V E SSE 8:

nnrrnn snares Parana onnron PAUL srrrnorr, or BROOKLYN, NEW

YORK.

FLOATING DEVICE FOR FLYING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. as, rare;

Application filed August 7, 1915. Serial No. 44,146.

for Flying-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

. The present invention relates to flying machines and particularly to an attachment thereto consisting of a buoyant body, whereby when the flying. machine descends on the water surface it may be kept floating.

The object of my invention is to produc such a construction which will allow the buoyant body of being collapsed when the machine is in the air, so as to present the least possible resistance to the air, and of being inflated when descending to the water surface, and of being revoluble.

Another object of my invention is to construct the device so that it can be easily and conveniently collapsed from the drivers seat.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully specified andset forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of my invention and in which similar reference characters denote corresponding parts, Figure 1 is partly a front elevation and partly a vertical section of my device in inflated condition; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the device in collapsed condi tion; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the device; Fig. 4: is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the plain of Fig. 3 as seen indirection of the arrows 55; Fig.v 6 is an enlarged vertical section of an end part of my device and Fig. 7 is a vertical section on line 7-7 of Fig. 1. s

In the drawing let F denote apart of a flyingmachine by which my device is to be carried by means of suitable members F,

F". My device consists of two buoyant inflatable bodies a, or, which are identical in construction and operation.

I shall in the following describe in detail the construction of only one of the bodies:

The inflatable buoyant body is substantially cylindrical and made of suitable waterproof and flexible material, stretched around and fastened to a cylindrical skeleton frame, the periphery of which is formed of longitudinal ribs or braces b and whose end or side walls are formed of radial ribs or braces 0 and central rings d. The radial ribs 0 are pivotally connected at one end, as c, to the peripheral braces b and at the other end, as 0 to the rings d. The members or rings d are revolubly' mounted on sleeves e, f

which are movably borne on a hollow shaft 9 carried by the arms F, F of the flying machine and adapted to extend centrally and longitudinally through the body I a. The shaft is closed up at its ends by caps g and g? and is provided on two diametrically opposed sides of its peripheral surface with longitudinal slots gthat extend from near the outer end to about the middle of the shaft. The outer sleeve 6 of each body a This member is engaged by a rod h that extends inwardly and centrally through the hollow of the shaft and passes out of the body through the cap 9 on the inner end of the shaft. The inner sleeve 7 on the other hand has attached to its outer surface mem bers-or rods 72, that in the example shown are arranged vertically superposed and are connected to one another by a vertical pin h". These members It and k serve, as will be presently explained, for the manipulation of the sleeves e, f to move the same inwardly toward one another or to the middle of the shaft, when it is desired to collapse the body, or to move them outwardly or away from one another and toward the ends of the shaftwhen it is desired to unfold and inflate the body a.

As it was said above, the body a is identical in construction and operation with body a, the bar or rod i (Fig. 2) thereof being identical with the rod k of the body a and connected to the member or pin 6 fixed to the outer sleeve e and the bars or rods 7?, being fixed at one endto the outer face of the inner sleeve f of said body a? and connected together at their opposite end by a pin i The rods 70, i are formedon their opposite faces to racks h and i'respectively, which are adapted to meshingly engage a common pinion 7' carried by a rod R which by a steering wheel W can be controlled from the seat of the operator. The rack h ofthe body a is furthermore connected to the pin i of the rods 71 of body a and the rack i of body a is connected to the pin 72, of the rods h of body a, so that by turning the pinion y in one direction the two sleeves e, f of each body will synchronously be moved toward one another, collapsing the frames and bodies 0;, a and by turning it in reverse direction the sleeves will move toward the ends of 'the respective bodies and unfold the same.

Now to allow of inflation and collapse of the bodies, I provide an air inlet for each, which may be formed by providing an air duct 70' inthe arm F communicating with the hollows of the shaft 9 from which the airuwill enter the bodies through the slots 9 thereof. Thus when the bodies are to be collapsed and the sleeves e, f are moved inwardly, the air contained therein will be discharged through the slots 9, while when the bodies are inflated fresh air will be sucked in through the ducts k. The air inlets may be closed up by suitable valves (not shown) after the inflation of the bodies.

In the present application I have de scribed and shown only one form of construction. It is evident that, various modifications may be made in the details thereof without departing from the principle of my invention. I, therefore, wish it to be eX- pressly understood, that I do not confine myself to the structure specified, but

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a flying machine, of two inflatable buoyant bodies, a hollow shaft extending centrally through each body, sliding members on the ends o-f each shaft connected with their respective bodies, movable members extending centrally through said shafts and connected to said sliding members and common means operable from-the drivers seat and serving to operate said movable members so as to collapse or inflate both said bodies simultaneously.

2. The combination with a flying machine, of two inflatable buoyantbodies, a hollow shaft extending centrally through each body, sliding members on the ends of each shaft, connected with their respective bodies, racks extending centrally through said shafts, each rack being connected at one end to one of the sliding members of its own 

